Andy Cruz expects Saturday’s IBF lightweight title fight with Raymond Muratalla to vindicate his unexpected decision to train in Philadelphia under Derek “Bozy” Ennis.
The Olympic gold medallist, on Saturday at Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau, becomes the first challenger to Muratalla in his reign as champion but in what represents only the Cuban’s seventh professional fight.
Aged 30 Cruz is also perhaps already at his physical peak, but even after so decorated an amateur career there is little question that as a professional there remains plenty for him to prove.
Cruz has made admirable progress since July 2023, the occasion of his professional debut. He has also evolved from a skilled amateur into an aggressive professional in the way that has become expected of one of Ennis’ fighters but in a way that is also atypical for the Cubans of the past.
Perhaps not unlike his compatriots David Morrell and Oslo’s Iglesias, Cruz has complemented his Cuban amateur schooling with the grit demanded of him by Ennis in Philadelphia training alongside Stephen Fulton Jnr, Jack Catterall, and “Bozy’s” son, Jaron “Boots”.
The favoured route for Cubans turning professional has typically involved relocating to train in the heat of Miami, where there even exists a Little Havana, or perhaps the heat of Las Vegas – where the respected Ismael Salas is based – and against a fighter of Muratalla’s abilities it remains possible that by training in Miami or Vegas, Cruz may well have been better served.
One of the subplots to Saturday’s appealing contest also surrounds the reality that perhaps the world’s most sought-after fight – between Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jnr – would be another between Cruz’s and Muratalla’s respected teams. Muratalla, 29, like Ortiz Jnr trains out of California under Robert Garcia. Cruz, regardless, is convinced that he has long been in the right place.
“It could be a prequel to [Ortiz Jnr-Ennis],” Cruz told BoxingScene. “It’s just the start of a great film – that’s what it would be.
“I wanted to do something different [by training under ‘Bozy’ Ennis], and I think you will see that on Saturday. I wanted to do something different; to get different results – to perhaps other Cubans – and if you want different results you have to go down a different route, so I don’t regret making that decision. I think I’ve learned a great deal. I feel like I’ve still got a lot to learn over in Philly with Bozy, but I think the results are speaking for themselves at the moment.
“It was really difficult for me [to spend the winter in Philadelphia]. I detest the cold. I cannot stand it. I’m a Latino. I like hot weather; I like hot places. But I’ve adapted well. I’ve looked upon it – it’s a sacrifice. It’s just another sacrifice that I have to go through. But I will say it’s not been easy.
“I think it every single day – a lot of people see the results but they don’t really see the sacrifices that go behind that to enable you to get the results. It’s difficult for athletes. The most difficult thing is the process. I’ve gone through a lot of sacrifices and when you go in the ring, that’s the easy part of the sport, but you don’t see all the obstacles that you need to overcome. You have to stop doing things that you enjoy doing. Those sacrifices – that’s the most difficult thing.
“When you see all the success and all the hard work that you put in – the goals that you set yourself – you see that all this was worthwhile. When you get on to those big stages it’s all worthwhile, and that, for me, is one of the most important things. For people to recognise your hard work – the hard work that you put in as well – is a wonderful thing. This is a beautiful sport.”
The leading sacrifice to which Cruz – who lives in Miami when he is not with Ennis – was referring surrounds the fact that to become a professional prizefighter he had little choice but to leave home and defect. He was arrested when preparing to leave Cuba on a boat and therefore lost his place, and the income he was paid for it, on Cuba’s national boxing team. He was also forced to leave his young son Anthony Taylor and girlfriend behind to pursue his professional ambitions. Above all else, he later left – via the Dominican Republic with the help of his co-manager Yolfri Sanchez – to create for them, and for himself, a new life.
Asked if Muratalla represents the best he would have faced, Cruz – who at Tokyo 2020 defeated the widely admired Keyshawn Davis – responded: “Yes. Muratalla’s a great fighter. It’s no surprise – it’s not by coincidence – that he’s champion. He’s a strong, young, quick fighter; he has all the tools that’s required to be a success in boxing. He’s a dignified opponent that I’m facing on Saturday.
“There’s no similarities when you talk about opponents. No two opponents are the same. Each opponent has their own talent; has their own arsenal. The learning experience I had as an amateur – going through and facing different opponents – will help me when it comes to what I need to deal with and how I need to manage the fight, come Saturday.
“He’s a strong fighter. He’s very intelligent. He has a great ring IQ. But also his footwork – he moves very quickly in the ring. Everything you’d want from a boxer, really, to have that great movement.”
Davis moving up to junior welterweight will, regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s fight, take him beyond Cruz’s reach in the near future. Shakur Stevenson also moving up to 140lbs means that Stevenson and Cruz are also unlikely to ever fight.
That Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ legal troubles are keeping him inactive means that Cruz will be denied a further, potential defining fight in the event of him becoming champion, but Abdullah Mason – who in November defeated Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO title – is already on his radar, regardless of Cruz believing that with Stevenson having moved up he is already his division’s number one.
“We don’t know about the number two,” he said.
“What I’d say about Abdullah Mason is he’s a young fighter. He’s obviously got his title – he’s won his world title – he’s someone that’s really making big strides. He’s had a sharp rise. He’s a kid that’s looked at as one of the best out there, and for what he will do in the coming years, but he’s one of the best [today] as well.
“Each athlete and each fighter has their own strategy, and they decide what to do, along with their team. There’s some excellent fighters there. The situation with Gervonta is a real shame; he’s wasting his talents and he probably needs professional help to get out of this. Shakur and my son, Keyshawn Davis, he’s a great fighter, a good fighter, but they decide what to do with their career. But if you become a champion it’s not just about becoming a champion, it’s about going on to defend your belt and become a solid champion – that’s what I believe.
“It would be a dream come true [to win on Saturday], and then it’s also about what you need to do afterwards. It’s not just becoming a champion and winning that belt, it’s also about what you need to do afterwards. It’s not just becoming a champion and winning that belt, it’s about staying there, which is even more difficult. It’s not just about becoming a world champion, it’s about going on and defending your belt in the future.”
